User:Milesmorales2001/Microaggression

Microaggressions

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Microaggressions are everyday verbal, behavioral, or environmental transgressions that signal hostility, denigration, or negative views toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups. They can be deliberate or inadvertent. The root of the word "micro" means on a smaller scale. Microaggressions are primarily intended to contrast with macroaggressions, which would be acts of racism that resulted in actual harm like an altercation or losing one's employment. In the 1960s, Chester Pierce, a well-known African American psychiatrist with a Harvard education, was the first to refer to these subtle behaviors as microaggressions. Pierce defined microaggressions as "“black-white racial interactions [that] are characterized by white put-downs, done in an automatic, preconscious, or unconscious fashion”. Because they depend on context, microaggressions cannot be categorized based solely on the particular actions taken or the precise words spoken in a given moment.

Combating microaggressions is a component of a larger effort to eliminate what are arguably the most damaging forms of racism in existence today: the subtle forms that are embedded in culture and that we take for granted, such verbal patterns that support harmful racial stereotypes. Because they are indoctrinated not to notice racial injustices, white people frequently do not directly encounter microaggressions, and as members of the dominant group, proper identification is not vital to secure personal safety and well-being, many White individuals are unaware of microaggressions. Despite the fact that the phrase was first used to refer to racism, many oppressed groups are impacted by microaggressions. Microaggressions can take many different forms, even though we typically think of them as verbal remarks.

Forms of Microagressions

According to professor of counseling and psychology at Columbia University Derald Wing Sue, there are three forms of microagressions: microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation.

Microassaults are deliberately voiced or carried out discriminatory ideas or attitudes maintained by someone toward a minority individual or group. This can include any aggressive verbal or nonverbal activity intended to harm the victim, such as calling someone names, avoiding eye contact, or engaging in discriminating behavior on purpose.

Microinsults are subliminal slights that are frequently unintentionally made in the form of compliments or supportive remarks aimed at a particular person or group. Microinsults convey impoliteness, callousness, put - downs, and insults that diminish a person's sense of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Despite appearing to be positive at first, the message is weakened by an offending or unfavorable closing.

Microinvalidations are arguably the most sneaky, harmful, and destructive type of microagression. Enforcers of microinvalidations discredit the ideas, sentiments, convictions, and experiences of the aforementioned excluded groups. Targets of microagressions are told that their impressions are false, that they are overly sensitive, and that they are paranoid when they attempt to draw attention to the offensive character, statements, and behavior of the offenders.

Race or Ethnicity

Although microaggressions affect a wide range of groups, race is typically brought up when speaking of them. People of color endure racism in a variety of ways, including subtle instances of racial prejudice that perpetrators are unaware of and do not acknowledge. Microaggressions overlap with the concept of "everyday racism", unacknowledged racism is woven into daily life and work by psychological and behavioral routines that engage and perpetuate underlying structures of power. The common themes that microaggressions relate to are listed below.

Criminality

Based on his or her race, a person of color is assumed to be dangerous, criminal, or abnormal.

• When a Black or Latino individual approaches, a White person clutches their purse or checks their wallet.
• A black customer being followed around the store by the store owner or employee.
• To avoid a person of color, someone switches towards the opposing side of the road.

This conveys the notion that you are a thief, will steal, are poor, are an outcast, and are threatening.

Intruder in one's own homeland

When people of color, including Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and others with names or appearances that aren't typical of the majority culture, are considered to be foreign-born.

• Unwillingness to pay close attention to and learn the pronunciation of a name with a non-English origin.
• Asking someone where they were born or where they are from.
• Saying someone's features are 'interesting'.
• Commenting on how well someone speaks English.

This implies that you are not a true American, that you live as a foreigner in your own nation, and that your ethnicity or race makes you exotic.

An evaluation of intelligence

Judging the intellect of a woman or a person of color based on their gender or race.

• Declaring that a person is an asset to their race.
• Assuming an Asian person is good at mathematics.
• Being astonished to hear a woman of color work in professions like science, law, or medicine.

This gives the impression that Asians are all intelligent and skilled in math and science, people of color are typically not as intelligent as White people, and it is unusual for a woman of color to possess high intellectual abilities.

Gender

Gender microaggressions are identified as slight and widespread daily verbal, cognitive, and environmental transgressions and vulgarities directed at women that are violent, demeaning, or hurtful in nature. Much like racism, sexism can manifest itself on both an overt, conscious and a subtle, unconscious level. Whereas the idea of sexism is not unknown, it is imperative to draw attention to these micro acts of discrimination against women in order to raise awareness, stop the prejudice from happening, and promote structural, organizational, and personal change.

Gender microassaults

Gender microassaults and overt sexism are related. Individuals may be aware of their actions in these situations. Instances of these microassaults include calling women "b*tches" or using the cat-calling language.

Gender microinsults

Gender microinsults are actions and remarks that convey hostile messages to women. A man's presumption that a woman can't lift a hefty package is one illustration of this. His acts confirm his unconscious bias that women are weak and the preconception that women cannot manage physical labor.

Gender microinvalidations

Gender microinvalidations are events in which the realities of women are undermined or invalidated by the aggressors. A man chastising a woman for being aware of her emotions or vigorously declaring that sexism no longer exists are two examples of this.

Women may frequently feel humiliated, objectified, or degraded due to the cumulative nature of these microaggressive exchanges. Short-term psychological distress and a variety of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, poor body image, and low self-esteem, may result from this.

Mental Illness

People suffering from mental diseases are frequently subjected to microaggressions and discrimination. There is rising concern that patients with mental illnesses also receive subpar physical healthcare. An Oxford-based academic publication conducted a study on the types of microaggressions faced by people with mental illnesses. Researchers discovered four themes of discrimination against these people.

Spreading preconceptions

The study's participants presented examples of stereotypes that have been linked to them. The most common evidence were judgments of inferiority, assumptions of incapability, seeking attention or being dramatic, and using mental illness as an excuse.

Nullifying experiences

People refuted participants' mental illness background by questioning the existence, severity, and avoidance of admission of their mental illness.

Characterizing a person by their disorder

Participants in the study reported how they had related various behaviors to their mental illness by people. It alienates them since they have other traits they value more than their mental condition.

Disability

Although mental illness is considered a disability, people with physical disabilities also face microaggressions. Ableism refers to the discrimination and microaggressions that persons with disabilities face.

Innumerable depictions of ableism include the following:

• ADA and other disability protection laws not being followed
• Building design plans that do not take accessibility into account
  • Braille on elevator buttons and signs
  • Places with wheelchair accessibility
• Inadequate websites
  • No voice-to-text option for visually impaired
  • No captions for deaf of hard or hearing
• Avoiding making accommodations
• the misconception that those with disabilities want or require correction
• Asking inappropriate questions

Effects

BIPOC, disabled, and marginalized groups of people are likely to experience microaggressions in their lifetimes. It's important to note that microaggressions have great effects on one's health.

Microaggressions have a detrimental effect on a person's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. These microaggressions cause inner turmoil and recurring distress over time, which only raises their chance of developing traumatic stress disorder and depression. Microaggressions can impair trust in service providers and caregivers in addition to endangering mental and physical health.